Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

We decided to buy a pontoon before the kids start moving out. We've never had a boat ourselves but we've rented and my husband drives a boat at work. We had decided on the Suntracker XP3 with a 200HP, but were thinking maybe the 22 XP3 with the 150hp would be OK too. We want to be able to pull adult skiers (because the kids are now bigger than me) and we can't seem to get a straight answer from anyone. Thanks for the add:)

Andrea Hove

The 150 will be fine, how much more to go to 200hp, about 5,000 more?

I've never heard anyone complain about putting too big of a motor on their boat... I've heard lots of people complain about too small of one. They will both work fine, but if the price is reasonably close I would go for the bigger outboard

I would stick with the 150 and save on purchase price and gas $. It will be fine to pull a skier, imo.

Enjoy the boat, though, most importantly, whichever you decide.

Welcome to the club.
Suntracker is a good choice.

Welcome aboard, keep the Sun Trackers coming.

Glenn

Toonnut86 wrote:I've never heard anyone complain about putting too big of a motor on their boat... I've heard lots of people complain about too small of one. They will both work fine, but if the price is reasonably close I would go for the bigger outboard

I second this...it's a lot more expensive to upgrade later on.

Also, to the poster who said you will use more fuel that isn't necessarily true. As long as you aren't running wide open the fuel economy is often as good with a bigger motor at cruising speed and near the top end of the smaller motor's range (and sometimes the bigger motor's range) the bigger motor will get better fuel economy.

For example, on the Mercury site the have two 254 XP3 suntrackers one with a 250 one with a 200. They are comparable at cruise speed in mpg and then from around 21 mph all the way to the top end of the bigger motor's range the 250 is hands better at fuel economy. At the top end of the 200 HP you are getting 34.8 mph with 1.7 mpg on the and the 250 can get 37.1 mph at 2.1 mpg (that's 23.5% better fuel economy). At wide open the 250 is getting 1.8 mpg at 49.8 mph.

On the bigger boats I've seen 225 HO Etecs getting to cruise of 18 mph around 2200-2500 rpm and I swear the things make fuel compared to the tritoons that are underpowered with 115 HP motors and are sucking gas at that speed.